From UAE to Gaza

Throughout the past few days people in the UAE have been very procative in their efforts to do whatever they could towards Gaza. I am very pleased with the contributions of the people around me, be it monetary, supplying food or even a lending hand.

While my friends and I shopped, a few of the guys from the group have been in the Aramex warehouse sorting up supplies and boxing them, and they told me that within the few hours they were there they filled up 7 giant lorries and send them away, and the warehouse still had a long way to go. Collections to the Aramex campaign are ending tomorrow though I believe you can still go to the warehouse and help with whatever you could.

keep this shopping list with you

If you want to be part of the Gaza Aid Package Project – Dubai, go visit the Facebook group.

Meanwhile, people took it to the streets across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras al Khaima and thousands of people joined in a peaceful march (approved by the Ministry of Interior) for hours demanding something be done about the crisis. High profile people also joined in the rally. Images from Gulfnews.

During the rally, the Red Crescent had its campaign running to receive donations via drop boxes or through SMS, and while it ran from 2 PM to 9 PM it was able to generate a whopping 315 million AED (roughly $86 million). UAE President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also pledged to build 1200 homes for the Palestinians in Gaza and the ruler of Umm Al Quwain His Highness Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla ordered that the mosques of Gaza to be renovated.

It’s truly heart warming to see this kind of reaction taking place around you, but the question begging to ask itself is: Is it really enough?

Remember that the world needs just a little compassion for it to be different for the better. Every day I wake up amazed at how the majority of the population are bonding together for one cause. It shows you a great deal that if there is a time for us to change, there is no better time than NOW.

Let’s just do all we could as civilians, to help other civilians less fortunate than us.